NCRI- In an Interview with the German daily Stuttgarter Zeitung published on Monday, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, warned about the increasing threat of the Iranian regime.
She urged the European countries to take a firm and consistent policy toward the Iranian regime and remove the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from the EU terror list.
NCRI- In an Interview with the German daily Stuttgarter Zeitung published on Monday, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, warned about the increasing threat of the Iranian regime.
She urged the European countries to take a firm and consistent policy toward the Iranian regime and remove the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from the EU terror list.
Stuttgarter Zeitung, 28 April, 2008
"The mullahs’ regime adopting a more extreme course"
Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi talks about the elections in her country and Tehran's role in the nuclear tussle with the West
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian opposition movement, warns of escalation of violence in the Middle East during Ahmadinejad’s presidency. In an interview with Gack Thomas, she urged for more support for the opponents of the regime in her country.
Q: The election in Iran, despite some gains by the critics, has apparently solidified Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s position as the head of state and government. Can the regime now open itself up more? Or will it take the contrary course?
Maryam Rajavi: Ahmadinejad is only a functionary of Khamenei. The Iranian regime has become weaker in its entirety. Thus, the fundamentalist regime will adopt a more radical and extremist attitude both against the Iranian people and the outside world. This means that the mullahs could stay in power only through resorting to suppressive and violent measures, including executions, flogging and medieval punishments.
The reality is that a majority of Iranians by boycotting the elections, voted against the fundamentalist regime. In Tehran only 5 percent of people took part in the elections. There were also hundreds of demonstrations against the religious dictatorship and for freedom.
Q: Despite this, the regime is firmly in place.
Maryam Rajavi: The reaction by Khamenei and Ahmadinejad clearly show the extent of the regime's fragile state. The regime has removed from key positions even its most loyal allies who do not follow Khamenei blindly. Among them were the nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, a number of senior government officials and even the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corp, Rahim Safavi.
Q: Does this radicalization have an impact on the foreign policy of Iran, for example, in Iraq?
Maryam Rajavi: Certainly. It has dangerous consequences for Iraq and the whole region. Why? A religious dictatorship such as the regime of the mullahs is the dangerous phenomenon for the 21st Century. The supreme religious leader, currently Khamenei, in accordance with the regime’s constitution, claims that he is the leader of the Muslim world. His goal is to establish a grand “Islamic” empire under Iranian leadership. And the regime in Tehran is determined to use military means to achieve that – in Iraq, in Lebanon, in the Palestinian territories and in Afghanistan. He supports the most extremist and radical groups by providing weapons, training and personnel. Iran will continue its interference in Iraq, a kind of "hidden occupation" of the country. The only way that the regime in Tehran can contain the massive internal problems is for the country to be involved in external conflicts.
Q: Is this why it is supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon and the most radical forces in Palestinian territories?
Maryam Rajavi: Exactly. It is Iran, which is behind the civil war in Lebanon. In recent years, Tehran has provided 14 billion dollars to the Hezbollah.
Q: Even more worrisome for the West is the suspicion that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Do you believe this fear is well-founded, or do you believe that Iran wants the nuclear power plants only for civilian use?
Maryam Rajavi: All the information we received from Iran, point out that Iran is determined the build atomic bomb. They have kept their nuclear Secret hidden for 18 years. It was the Iranian Resistance that revealed the dangerous research. Back in 1988, at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, Khomeini insisted that Iran not only needed civilian nuclear expertise, but also the atomic bomb.
Q: So far, the West has tolerated the cat-and-mouse game by the Ahmadinejad government on Iran's nuclear program, hoping for a change in Tehran's attitude. What should the U.S. and the EU have done differently?
Maryam Rajavi: We believe that the "appeasement policy" of Western countries is dangerous. It will not succeed. The mullahs' regime will only gain time. Western governments should adopt a clear, consistent and determined approach towards the mullahs' dictatorship. They should not remain silent and accept the injustice in Iran. They should not and must not turn a blind eye to the dangers and risks involved. We wish, however, that the Iranian opposition is recognized in Europe. The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the largest opposition group, must be removed from the EU’s terrorist list. Several courts have already called for this. This label is wrong and unjustified. The mullahs are happy about it because they consider the Iranian opposition as the biggest political threat.
Q: Does the oppressed opposition in Iran have a chance to force a change?
Maryam Rajavi: Yes. If the West's appeasement policy is terminated and no obstacles are placed on the path of the Iranian opposition in exile, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) are the only organized movements that can mobilize the dissent against the regime in Iran. If that does not happen, there is a growing danger that Iran, will one day create a nuclear conflict that will bring about a third world war.
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Editor’s note:The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (or Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, MEK) is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
